This book feels hard to describe. For one, I didn't know that this was the second book in a series, so after a few chapters I went back to read book 1 before continuing to read this, which I recommend, because this book picks up literally within minutes of book 1 ending. The plot of this is pretty wild and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief. I think what I am struggling with the most is that this book does not feel like it could stand alone as a story. Things did happen, the plot progressed, but it again ended on an extreme cliffhanger. If you didn't read book 1, it would really be lacking, in my opinion, because so much of the set up and character explanation/backstory happens in book 1. At the same time, I feel like the writing style was good, and I genuinely really enjoyed the audio as the narrators were phenomenal. I think I would continue this series because I am curious what might happen next...but if I am just talking about this book on it's own, it was just okay.

Unfortunately after listening to this for most of the afternoon and evening I am calling it quits at around the 50% mark. I didn't realise this was a sequel to another book when I requested this title (which evidently I have not read). Even though this book can be read as a standalone, I feel that to really get the best from it you need to have read the first book as it seems to start straight in on the action from what is presumably the end of the first installment. Due to this, I've struggled to get to know the characters and their motives/relationships and truly feel the situations that Oliver and Mina find themselves in throughout this book.

I did enjoy the audio narrators, the book is read well and you can feel the angst the characters are suffering. The voices are clear, concise and carry the story with conviction.

I will look into getting both books in the future as physical/ebooks as I feel that the first book would give me more of an insight to really enjoy this installment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the life and love of Mina and Oliver as Mina is abducted by a crime family far across the world, and Oliver is left to pick up his own pieces and the pieces of his suddenly broken business. There is a lot of turmoil and violence and longing in this story. It does move a little slower than I’d like, and didn’t quite grab me like a different genre really would, but I think those who do revel in thriller/mysteries will find this a lot more appealing than I personally did!

The writing and audio performance were very evocative and well done, but I feel like I was missing a lot of context with these characters because I wasn’t aware it was the second book in the series. It was marketed to me as more of a standalone. I do wish I had known to read the first book before this one. As I said earlier though, the audio performances were truly great.

I saw this on Netgalley for free review and thought I'd give it a try. I had to DNF unfortunately. I gave it a good go getting about 60% into the story and I just couldn't go anymore. The characters aren't very interesting, and the story isn't very believable. It might have helped if I had read the first book, but from what I've heard, you can read as a standalone. Do not let my opinion sway you as you may like it, however the story just wasn't very thrilling enough to keep my attention.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216844512-love-and-other-cages?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hSScFF8Fqh&rank=1

This took me a while to listen to but it was so good! I do think you need to read the first book to fully understand but I definitely want to listen to more of this. Mina and Oliver have such a bond and I loved hearing from both sides. I also really enjoyed towards the end of the book where they end in the same place. For being a young adult mystery thriller, this has some really dark themes and I think a teenager over 16 would really enjoy listening to this. Netgalley has given me a tough task of waiting for book 3 as this ends on a fantastic cliff hanger but thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

3.5⭐️

I enjoyed the dual POV and particularly Minas story! The way it all connected at the end was predictable but I enjoyed how we got there. I didn’t know this was book 2 and feel that would have been a good place to start for context however this book did well as a standalone. I recommend listening to the audiobook , the author reads the story which is nicely done.

Thank you NetGalley and bookbuzz :)

While reading this, I was trying to decide what it reminded me of and then it came to me Red Sparrow. Yes we are back with Mina and Oliver and their budding relationship however they don't get a chance to enjoy this when their world imploded. This books was full of actions and twist & turns for the characters - which is depicted by the different storylines for Mina and Oliver. They both have different desires for the outcomes and do these outcomes align .... you will have to read to find this out. The ending had me on a cliff hanger and I need the next installment to see what happens.

3.5 ⭐️

Love and Other Cages is the second book in this unnamed series and continues from where Love and Other Sins left off. Following Nina's abduction, she is thrown into a world and is tested on many levels, while Oliver spends his time trying to find Nina. It was such a different story from book 1 that it took me a bit to get over my initial impression (What is happening?!? I thought this was a teen romance? Am I reading the right book?) and finally get into the book. I was gifted this advanced listener’s copy of the audiobook. It was dual narration, the author narrating the Nina's POV. I enjoyed listening, both narrators did a good job. I did feel like the female narrator seemed a bit off with her male voices, like she was speaking through a clenched jaw, but it wasn't horrible. This ends in a cliffhanger, so no HEA yet.

~~What I liked~~
-Much like her first book, this book was easy to read (listen to) and well written. There were quite a few more characters than in the first book, so I did have to pay a bit more attention (or 'listen better') to determine who was who.
-While it did take me a while to get into the story, and get over my false assumptions about the storyline, I did enjoy what happened in the book. I was expecting a bit more of a teen romance, like in book 1, but this was more like Marvel's Black Widow crossed with a more subdued version of Liam Neeson in Taken. Not what I was expecting, but decent never the less.
-The cover is so pretty and was originally what made me interested in reading the book. I know it has nothing to do with the actual story, but it got me to read it.
-This is a plus for me, as I'm sure many readers don't care as much, but I don't like YA books that constantly remind me I'm reading about a teen. I think it has a lot to do with how well I can relate to the characters. Constant reminders of their age via mentions of school or behavior make it harder for me to enjoy the book because I feel so separate from the characters. This book was enjoyable because aside from a mention of school, the characters seemed more 'ageless'. A young age, but still relatable.

~~What I didn't like~~
-This felt like two different books that had been spliced together in alternating chapters. It lacked the cohesiveness that I got in book 1. This was Mina's story, then Oliver's story, then back to Mina, then to Oliver, on repeat.
-Speaking of book 1, I know this isn't really anyone's fault in particular, but I didn't know this was a continuation of a series when I first picked it up. Had I not done my own sleuthing I would have never known this fact and would have been properly confused about the events in this book.
-Between book 1 and this book, I really struggled to get over the dramatic shift in the plot. I wasn't expecting it and took a while to get over it. Maybe that is why there wasn't much notation that this was a continuation from the previous book. But it isn't a standalone either...
-Mina and Oliver are only together for a hot minute in the book, then spend the remainder apart. This really hurt the romance aspect...so much that I would say there wasn't any romance.

Overall, this was ok, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be finishing the series. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was an easy to listen to, fast paced story. I feel like it was quite a cozy book because the story, although exciting and dramatic, was never stressful or too much.
The characters were great, I felt like I really got to know the two main ones.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something easy but engaging

I really enjoyed this book. I was not aware it was part of a series but you didn't really have to read the prior book to understand these characters.
Mina goes through a lot and Olive does everything in his power to get to her. Mina has been decieved after an incident at her home. Oliver sets out in an attempt to get her back. I thought that Mina was extremely strong and resilient, while Oliver was still very immature and did not think things through before acting. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting to hear more about what will happen to them.

Unfortunately, I am quite disappointed by “Love and Other Cages”.
Now, as a disclaimer: I did not read the previous book in the series. Though, I feel this book explains well enough what is going on, so I didn’t feel like I was missing a lot of context from the previous instalment.

Starting with some of the issues…
A major problem for me in this book is how completely unrealistic it seems - the main plot point revolves around something that would just never happen. I absolutely refuse to believe that (and this is not a spoiler - this plot point is established very early on into the book..) any authority would ask a MINOR to let themselves get KIDNAPPED by a gang because apparently that will help the authorities bust said gang.

Of course, the problems don’t end there - there numerous things that happen after the kidnapping that just don’t make any sense… This makes the whole story really hard to believe and causes a lack of immersion for me personally - and I hate to say it but my entire reading experience has been that of the likes of reading a Wattpad mafia story.

Also.. This is being marketed as a New Adult Romance and Thriller. Romance? Where is the romance? The only time the couple that this story is told through are actually together is in the first few chapters, and a few towards the end, and even in those, they have numerous problems in their relationship. There’s nothing that feels genuinely romantic and I think it would make more sense for this book to have just been described as a thriller.

Without giving anything away… I feel like the ending was definitely.. odd to me, and it felt like the author added a twist just for the sake of it. I understand that this is done to prolong the series but I would have much rathered the ending without it, especially because I won’t be reading any further instalments of this series.

The characters were okay… I feel they don’t really have much depth or personalisation at all, though. I suppose that’s to be expected given the quality of the plot and the rest of the book as a whole..
Despite that, the author did do a good job keeping a continuous narrative from Oliver - him being short tempered and reactionary is something that is present from the very start until the end, for the most part. Additionally, to expand on that, I think the character work with Mina was also alright - it had its moments where I felt like I was more able to connect with her, but, the character work in this is definitely not something to marvel at.

I think that the only other somewhat positive thing I have to say for the writing is that the story wasn’t.. boring. It was compelling to read on at times, particularly during the last 20%.
Now, I feel I should say: if I was reading this physically, I would have DNF’d early on. I simply would not have been able to continue. But, the audiobook was actually quite high quality! The acting was better than I had expected, and I feel like both narrators could have an established career in voice acting if that was something they were to pursue.

But to wrap this up.. I definitely don’t think I’ll be recommending this to anybody that I know personally - but to anyone who tends to enjoy chaotic YA mafia-style stories: you may perhaps enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you to SERA Press for providing this Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley!

WOW! What a surprise read!!
First I am thankful to have gotten the audioARC and the eARC for free from Netgalley and the author so I can leave my voluntary review.

I was out of audio books and needed one to listen before bed so I looked at ones I could listen to immediately and came across this. It looked interesting enough so I got it. Afterwards I saw that it was available in print as well through NetGalley so I got that as well to be able to do a tandem read as those opportunities don’t come up often on NetGalley.

Anyway, within the first 10% of the experience I dropped e-galley as the audio version was so engrossing and well done. If you follow my reviews you know that I don’t enjoy dramatic versions of audiobooks. I want the narrators to read with enough feeling to be engaging but not go overboard where it completely shapes how I need to interpret the material.

Well this is a bit different. It was a bit more dramatic of a reading than I typically like but it was fantastic! It was as though the female narrator completely brought the FMC to life and was so in tune with her. It wasn’t until I was 90% done that I checked out who the narrators were and saw the female was the author 😝.

So it makes complete sense now! I feel because she knows the characters best that she was able to be a bit more dramatic with the reading and come across as completely authentic. The author Emilia Ares is an actress as well and honestly that doesn’t always equate to a good audio reader!

Anyway, on top of the the recitation of the book being fabulous, the book itself was outstanding too! While the FMC and the MMC are 17 and in high school which fits in with the YA genre it’s not at all. It is New Adult for sure and it’ll speak to general and women’s fiction lovers as well.

I ended up listening to it in one sitting as i completed a project at 1.5x speed rate as it put it at a perfect speed. I definitely liked Mira’s chapters so much that I wanted Oliver’s to hurry up but his were very much needed to pull the story together. It was just that Mira’s were full of the action and you want to know what happens!

I didn’t realize that this is the second book in a series but can also be read as a stand alone. By the 20% mark I made sure to put the first book in my kindle library.

This book comes out October 15th 2024 and I highly suggest you preorder it now! I am 100% getting my own copy through Audible come October and a print copy. Now I’m off to reread the eARC to see what else I can get from this story!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Mina is the unfortunate victim of her father's actions. When she is kidnapped by the Russian mob to make her father toe the line , her boyfriend Oliver will stop at nothing to find her. Mina goes through horrible torture and brainwashing. It was sometimes difficult to listen to because it was so raw and brutal . But the story was so gripping I had to keep going.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a wonderful job. I always enjoy dual narration. This was the second in the series. I didn't read the first but did not feel lost. The author did a good job of filling us in. I can't wait for the next book as this ended on a cliffhanger.

⭐️ 3.5/5 - overall
📚 3/5
🎧 4/5
🩷 2/5

It was not advertised on NetGalley as a sequel.
I was lost in some parts. Shame, it seems like it could have been a decent story with all the context.
It might have been a better experience if I had read book 1.
Please remember to advertise the book number in the series.

🎧 I will add the narration style was good. The female was too tier. The male was a great performer but I think the voice didn't suit the character. Great audio production though. The audio was a comfortable listen 🙌

Ich habe mich über das Buch sehr gefreut. Es ist nicht nur fließend zum lesen sondern auch sehr spannend.

⭐️⭐️.75/ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Before picking up this book don’t do what I did and jump straight into it, though you’d get on just fine, I do recommend reading the first book, ‘Love and Other Sins’. This book was hard to get into in the beginning, maybe it was because I was jumping head first into the middle of a series and the connection between the characters was already built. Though between the author’s incredible writing and the intriguing audiobook narration (and a little bit of stubbornness), I found myself enjoying aspects of it and in the end was invested in the characters and story. There is a cliffhanger at the end of this book, that really leaves you wanting more for the possible book 3. The plot was not predictable by any means and you were left questioning how all the little peaces fell together and connected. The characters were well fleshed out, some parts were annoying but that’s human and it built the depth. I loved the MFC, Mina, what she goes through and her storyline is very interesting and well thought out. The MMC, Oliver, I found annoying at time but you can tell how much he cares for Mina. I do believe I would’ve benefited more from knowing his background in the first book. I also listened to the audiobook and I loved it, OMG the author of the book voiced Mina’s chapters and I feel like she done an amazing job, Emilia Ares is a multitalented author by all means. The narrator choice for Oliver was also a good choice, the accents to the performance was incredible. The only thing that would’ve made it better would’ve been duet narration. However the narrators made the story work and worth investigating in. Overall story, characters and plot made this book, but my experience with going straight into book 2 and also my experience with YA books left me giving this book the rating I gave it. I do recommend this book though because even if my experience was lacklustre, maybe yours will be better.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did!!! 6 starts
this was an audio book and the narrator's voices were so enjoyable and easy to follow, also the storyline is just so gripping!! it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger which I cannot wait to see whats next. it will definitely be a book I will recommend ofter.

Just wow! I didn't realize when I started that this was the 2nd book in a series, but was able to follow along and will absolutely be going back and reading the first book! I'll always be anxiously awaiting the next book because that ending!! 🤯

Mina is so strong and Oliver is so devoted. They're both great characters and the duel POV was done very well. My jaw was on the floor the whole time.

Thank you for the chance to listen and review!

I didn’t realize this was second in a series until about 1/3rd of the book and thought “maybe some background would be nice”. Then realized it’s the second book and went back and listened to the first book. Came back to second book. Very long books with very little happening. The story, plot etc were good, but the books could’ve been much shorter in my opinion.
Narration was fine.